Highland Street in West Duluth will be temporarily closed from 59th to 62nd Avenue West during the daytime on August 14-15. This is due to CN Railroad's routine inspection of the Highland Street bridge.
Traffic detour signs will guide drivers to use Olney Street instead. The closure is scheduled only for the daytime, allowing the road to be open in the evenings. For large vehicles, alternative routes include Vinland Street, Boundary Avenue, Highway 2, I-35, Cody Street, and 59th Avenue West.
"Brad has tremendous enthusiasm and passion for economic and community development, and I am excited to see all that he will accomplish in this new role." -- St. Louis County Administrator Kevin Gray
Nearly 37% of residents in the Arrowhead region, which includes St. Louis County, qualified for a property tax refund in 2023, the most recent year for which information is available.
Under the leadership of Chamber President Matt Baumgartner, Duluth and St. Louis County Days has become a respected presence at the Capitol. Legislators expect it. Policymakers notice it. And participants leave knowing their region’s voice has been heard.
For now, the political formula in Minnesota’s 8th District remains remarkably consistent. Duluth votes. The Iron Range votes. Then the rest of northern Minnesota votes. And the rest of northern Minnesota is usually enough.
"Brad has tremendous enthusiasm and passion for economic and community development, and I am excited to see all that he will accomplish in this new role." -- St. Louis County Administrator Kevin Gray
How do you replace lost industrial base? How do you stabilize tax revenue? How do you bring consistent, year-round activity back into a hollowing downtown? Rochester, Cleveland and Pittsburgh leaned into medicine and were successful.
The lesson is not that every project will succeed. It is that progress requires participation — from developers, from institutions and from city leadership willing to remove obstacles rather than manage decline.